Editing Your Writing

When you've finished writing a first draft, wouldn't you like to sit back and say It's finished! and then move on to a brand new project?

I think we all wish we could do exactly that. Instead, we know that editing is important. An editor who receives a first draft and proclaims it a keeper is probably a fictional person. Rare would be the writer who can produce a polished product on the first go.

There are a few things to remember when you edit:

• Let the first draft rest for a few days, or more, before your first edit. *
• Look for repetition of thoughts and words
• Check the verbs to see where you can exchange a passive one for an action verb.
• Look for redundancies in the information given.
• Watch for overuse of both adjectives and adverbs. Less is always better than more.
• Check punctuation.
• Do a spell check.
• Watch for clarity throughout.
• Look for places to add sensory details.
• Check to see if emotion comes through.
• Check that you have been consistent in use of tense. 
• Is the title the very best? Have you played with several before choosing one? 
• What about spacing, indenting--the way your piece of writing looks at a glance?
• If there is dialogue, is it natural? Interesting? 
• Would a few similes and metaphors add to what you've written?
• If it's fiction or memoir, have you given a sense of place?

You probably noticed that I put the first selection in bold and starred it. I cannot emphasize enough how important this is. If you attempt editing immediately upon finishing the first draft, you'll catch some things that need correcting. If you wait for days or even weeks, you'll look at your draft with a different view. You'll catch many more problems. You'll feel like you're reading something new and will be surprised at what you find. 

New writers often ask how many times a writer should edit. Good question. My answer is that you should edit until you feel satisfied. Again, let the piece rest a while between edits. There are writers who would edit over and over and over and over again. Too much of anything is not good. There must come a time when you say OK, that's enough.

(Monday post on Sunday evening)